While AutoCAD comes with a large variety of hatch patterns, you can also create your own. This feature has been around for many years.
Hatch patterns are stored in files with a file extension of .pat. You can add your hatch to the default acad.pat or create your own .pat file. As always, don’t forget to make a copy of acad.pat or acadlt.pat before you edit it.
If you create your own .pat file, here are some points to remember:
- If you aren’t adding patterns to acad.pat or acadlt.pat, you can put only one hatch pattern in a custom .pat file; the filename and pattern name must be the same
- You can insert comments in your .pat file after a semicolon
- You must press Enter after the end of the last line of the hatch definition
Note: To find the location of acad.pat or acadlt.pat, right-click the drawing area and choose Options; then click the Files tab. Double-click the Support File Search Path item to display the location of the support files.
The syntax for hatch patterns is as follows:
*pattern-name[, description]
angle, x-origin,y-origin, delta-x,delta-y [, dash1, dash2, ...]
Hatch-pattern definitions have a few rules:
- The description is optional; if you include one, precede it with a comma.
- Add the dash specifications only for noncontinuous lines.
- You can have more than one definition line (the second line in the syntax I just showed), creating sets of hatch definitions that combine to create the hatch pattern.
- Each definition line can be no more than 80 characters.
- You can include a maximum of six dash specifications (which include spaces and dots).
- You can add spaces in the definition lines for readability.
This following explains the meaning of the terms in the definition:
- Angle: Defines the angle of the lines in the hatch pattern. If you also specify an angle in the Boundary Hatch and Gradient dialog box when you place the hatch, AutoCAD adds the two angles.
- X-origin: Specifies the X coordinate of the base point of the hatch pattern. Your hatch probably won’t go through 0,0; however, this point lines up sets of lines in hatch patterns, as well as aligning hatch patterns in different areas. Because all hatch patterns are calculated from the base point, they’re always aligned, no matter where they actually appear in the drawing.
- Y-origin: Specifies the Y coordinate of the base point of the hatch pattern.
- Delta-x: Specifies the offset of successive lines. This applies only to dashed lines and is measured along the direction of the lines. Specifying a delta-x staggers each successive line by the amount that you specify so that the dashes don’t line up.
- Delta-y: Specifies the distance between lines, measured perpendicular to the direction of the lines. This applies to both continuous and dashed lines.
- Dash: Defines a noncontinuous line using the same system as linetype definitions: positive for a dash, negative for a space, and 0 for a dot.
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
*ftrailer, proposed future trailers
105, 0,0, 0,0.5, .5,–.25,0,–.1,0,–.25
This hatch has an angle of 105 degrees, an origin of 0,0, a delta-x of 0, a delta-y of 0.5 (the spacing between lines), and then defines a non-continuous linetype (dash, space, dot,space,dot,space)
Here’s a more complex example:
*trail, whole trailers-proposed
0, 0,0, 0,2, .5,–1
90, 0,0, 0,1.5, .5,–.25,0,–.25,.5,–.5
90, .5,0, 0,1.5, .5,–.25,0,–.25,.5,–.5
0, 0,1.5, 0,2, .5,–1
This hatch pattern has 4 lines. Two are at 0 degrees, and two are at 90 degrees. This creates the rectangular shape. The difference between the two lines that start at 0 degrees is their origin. The second one starts at 0,1.5. The 90-degree lines also have different origins. The linetype for the 90-degree lines is dash, space, dot, space, dash, space.
See how the effect of trailers is created?
Related tips:
Create a custom simple linetype
Control hatch origin
Easy hatching
Dealing with gaps
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Hi i want what how to creat my own hatch in Auto cad 2007
The instructions here work for AutoCAD 2007. In fact, the hatch code specifications go back many years.
Hello, i have to make squares 50X50 cm, can you give me some tips please?
Do they need to fill in a closed space? If not, you wouldn’t use a hatch. Even if you would, I’m not sure you wouldn’t be better with an array of lines. It’s hard to know without any context.
hello. can anybody explain me how can I add an installed pattern to my autocad pattern’s library pls??(i use version 2007) thx all.
I’m not sure what you mean. If you add a custom pattern to acad.pat, it becomes part of the AutoCAD pattern library. What do you mean by “installed?”
Hii.. How can use a hatch pattern (which is in .Pat)and it is already downloaded in my computer ? in other words I can’t find the downloaded pattern in AutoCAD file. plz help.. Thank youu
If you put it in the support file search path, you can find it when you go to hatch something. On the ribbon’s hatch gallery, custom files are at the bottom if they’re in the search path.
i need to know how to create a new hatch patterns in AutoCad.
thx
prem
I would like to create a hatch which is simply blank. I would use this to hide an area of a drawing so that I can place a title block on a normally hidden layer. When I turn the layer on, the features behind the title block will be hidden and only the text in the title block will appear. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I’m not sure I understand, but would the TEXTMASK command help? It creates a wipeout behind the text and helps to make text on top of a hatch more legible. The WIPEOUT command might also help. And the TEXTTOFRONT command will, well, it’s obvious.
Hi Ellen,
I’m not understand about your explanation, i come here to find a way to make the pattern that i was made, for use in another time, as hatch if possible,
so who care about angle?? array give we all magic to make some awesome pattern,
and what it is about syntax?? is that really difficult to make some pattern become usable hatch?? lol, maybe i just need to uninstall my Autocad,
thanks before
Yes, you make it for use another time by saving in a .pat file. Then, when you want to use the hatch, you can choose that file and you’ll be able to create the hatch. The hatches are created using text. There may be some way to convert a pattern you draw to a hatch pattern, but I don’t know of it– perhaps someone has written a program to do that. But in AutoCAD, you have to use their syntax.
Tengo el autocad 2010 y me aparece la leyenda acadiso.pat, can´t find file. No standard patterns available. Sabés como puedo hacer para recuperarlos?
Gracias.
Thanks for this awesome instruction. I finally understand what those numbers mean.
However, I have tried to create a pat file where I copy and paste two pat files together (Concrete and Leaves pattern) to simulate an obscure glass. and the pattern gives me the error message in AutoCAD. Can you please explain? and any tips for making such pattern work?
Thanks
I’m not sure how you could put to .pat files together.
Hi Ellen:
What I meant was, I opened two pat files in text editors, then cut and paste all those numbers together and saved it as a new pat file. I was hoping these would make 2 patterns work together but it gives an error message.
Base on your instruction, I would think it would work.
Do you have any suggestion? Thanks
Hi Ellen,
Please tell me how to use a photo to create a new hatch pattern?
thanks
I’m not aware of a way to use a photo to create a hatch pattern. However, you can use a photo as a material to fill in a side of a 3D object. That’s another topic.
Hello, I am having difficulty trying to get a herringbone pattern configured. I have been going over things to try and get it to work, but I am just now getting frustrated. I just need a 1.75″x8″ herringbone pattern. I have already created a 4×12 and an 3×12, but for some reason I can not get this one to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don’t care if is angled at 0 & 90 or 45 & 135, I just need to get it to work. Thanks
Does anyone want to help John create a custom herringbone pattern?
John, You might search on the Internet–sometimes people share their work.
Use the Express Tool SUPERHATCH to create a hatch from an image.
SUPERHATCH works like the hatch command, but it allows you to use an image, block, xref, or WIPEOUT object as a hatch pattern.
Great idea!
@romany … try in superhatch command…
@ Ellen.. Maam same doubt can’t rectified… i have download the hatch patten can u tell me where to paste the hatch… i’m using autocad 2012. thank you..
If you put the .pat file in AutoCAD’s support file search path, it will appear at the bottom of the list of hatch patterns. In the Patterns panel of the Hatch Creation tab, click the arrow at the right of the thumbnail images and scroll to the bottom. Then you can choose that hatch to fill an enclosed area.
Thanks Ellen, I have already searched far and wide, before I posted help. Usually I can figure it out, but for some reason, this one is kicking my butt. I have created 4×12 and 3 x 12 herringbone patterns recently, but I just can not get the 1.75×8. I will more then be happy to post one or two to get one in return!
John, in theory any herringbone should be able to be duplicated with one horizontal family of lines, and one vertical. In practice, I don’t think it works. But first, I hope I’m right in assuming you’re talking about each rectangle/paver being 1.75 units x 8 units? If so, then my belief is it’s not your fault – it’s that the pattern doesn’t repeat itself for a very long time. To use only two line definitions we need to have a very large “off” distance (9.75 ON, then 102.25 OFF), and having experimented, I believe Autocad chokes on this – for some reason I’ve never understood it often struggles to “cut” a dashed line unless the line happens to have an “on” bit nearby, so this particular hatch you’re wanting is a worst-case scenario.
If you can handle nudging your proportions into a shape where the smaller side divides more neatly into the larger (eg 2 units x 8 units), then the lines will repeat/align much sooner in the pattern and it should work for you. The following worked for me (Save it into a file named herrinbone2x8.pat )
*herringbone2x8,Herringbone 2 x 8 units
;angle, x,y-origin, delta-along-line, delta-between lines, dash-1, dash-2, …
;Line family 1 – horizontals
0, 0,0, 2, 2, 10, -6
;line family 2 – verticals
90, 2,0, 2, -2, 10, -6
Good luck. Autocad patterns are one of the most bizarrely archaic things I know. (especially considering I just made a new crazy paving hatch in Archicad!
Chris
Whoops, missed a ‘g’ in the filename – that should have read herringbone2x8.pat, not herrinbone2x8.pat
Chris, we have a free excel AutoCAD hatch generator tool on our site that will allow you to design the pattern of your choice. see http://www.cadhatch.com/#/hatch-generator-tool/4558761903
Dave
I need the video of using custom hatch pattern in auto cad.